Device for holding automobiles in freight cars



Dec. 17, 1929. c, FEDDERMAN 1,739,829

DEVICE FOR HOLDING AUTOMOBILES IN FREIGHT CARS Filed March 1928 2Sheets-Sheet 1 242. 5 r "75 INVENTOR 6 0 eaae l .27 J 7 svgfl w w IATTORNEY 1929 G. c. FEDDERMAN 1,739,829

DEVICE FOR HOLDING AUTOMOBILES IN FREIGHT CARS Filed March 1928 2Sheets-Sheet 2 fiea/g ye 6? fdcze/yrzarz a g BY MM 20 I 'lllmua'lllllgly mil-n ATTORNEY V for instance the Patented Dec. iv. was.

. ilNlTEfi STATES earau'r oer-ice GEORGE G. FEDIDERMAN, OF DETROIT,MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO AUTO LOADING DEVICE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, 015DETROIT, MICHIGAN DEVICE FOR HOLDING AUTOMOBILES IN FREIGHT CARSApplication flied March 7, 1928. Serial No. 259,885.

This invention relates to means whereby automobiles or like vehicles maybe secured to the floor of a freight car during shipment.

'Heretofore it has been customary to secure such vehicles by means ofrope, round or strap iron which is in turn nailed to the floor. Thispractice results in abnormal wear and tear on the car fioor particularlydue to indifierent workmen in removing the straps and nails at thedestination end of the shipment. This invention then is primarlydesigned to overcome this serious difliculty while at the same timeproviding means whereby such a vehicle may be'more efiiciently securedand held during shipment.

To this end the inventlon contemplates the provision of a perforatedplate secured either above, flush with, or below the car floor, saidplate to receive readily detachable means such as hook or eye elementswhich in turn receive looped or curved end of a round iron hold down,the upper portion of which passes over a part of the vehicle being held.In one form of the invention, the hook or eye elements may bepermanently secured to the bottom of a trough or the like so arrangedwith relation to the car floor that no part of the assembly projectsabove the bottom thereof.

The invention further consists in the novel arrangement, combination andconstruction of parts more fully described hereafter and shown in theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a composite perspective view of one form of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the device of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail of amodified cross plate.

Fig. 4 is a perspective of a modified retaining device.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of still another form of retaining device.

Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation of a modified form of assembly.

Fig. 6 is a further sectional elevation of the modified assembly of Fig.6.

Fig. 7 is still another view of a modified form of the invention.

Fig. 8 is a plan view of another modification.

Fig. 9 is a plan view of Fig. 8 showing the cover lifted.

Fig. 10 is a longitudinal sectionat view of Fig. 8.

Fig.11 is a sectional elevation along the line 11-11 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 12 is a detail of a dumping device.

In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1 the car floor is shown at 1 tothe bottom of which is secured a perforated plate 2 having irregularapertures 3 therein. The plate 2 cfiovers the bottom of an opening 4 inthe car oor.

The plate 2 is adapted to be secured to the floor 1 as by bolts 7. Animperforate plate 22 is countersunk into the floor 1 and overlies theheads of the bolts 7 so that the well 4 is closed thereby. A chain 23 orthe like secures the plates 2 and 22 together.

As shown the apertures in the plate 2 are somewhat key hole shaped, thelarger portion 8 thereof being adapted to receive the enlarged head 9 ofa retaining device 10, having.

a shank 11 of a size to slip into the restricted portion 12 of the plateapertures, the device 10 being prevented from being withdrawn upwardlyby reason of its enlarged head 9.

As shown the plate 2 is provided with a plurality of these apertures sothat a retaining device or devices may be inserted at any desired point.The upper portion 17 of the device 10 is of a hook shaped contour andarced from side to side to receive the curved portion 13 of a hold downelement. This element may advantageously comprise a section .of roundiron.14 bent upon itself to form a substantially curved portion 13, theextremities of the straight ends being threaded to receive the nuts 15which serve to retain a cross plate 16 adapted to pass over a convenientportion of a vehicle such as the axle or spring. In use, assemblies suchas in Fig. '1. are lo cated at various places in the car floor so thatfor instance there may be one at subsprings and the wheel bases ofdiiferent automobiles vary, the arrangement of apertures 3 wheelthereof, a retaining device 10 is fitted to each late 2 in the mostadvantageous position ependent of course as towhat part of the vehicleis to be utilizedfor attaching "the hold down. The hold downproper 14 isthen looped over the curved portions 17, the parallel threaded ends ofthe hold down straddling the 5 ring or axle, when these parts are used.ross plate 16 is now placed over the spring or axle, and the hold downends, and nuts 15 applied until the vehicle is held securely to the carfloor. This is' repeated with at least four assemblies. located adjacentthe four wheels of the vehicle. In

some instances it may be desirable to utilize more than four hold downsand retaining devices and this may be done without unduly multiplyingthe number of perforated plates 2, due to th'fact that a. large numberof perforations are provided in each plate;

In some instances it'will be found desirable to utilize an irregularshaped opening 18 and a similarly shaped head on the securing deviceprovided with side extensions 19 adapted to fit into correspondingdepressions in the underside of the plate 2 upon rotation of thesecuring device through an angle of say 90. Such an arrangement makesfor security. Obviously many varieties of head shapes may be utilized. 4

In still another form it ma be advantageous to provide the shank 0 thesecuring device with a swivel 21 capable of more or less universalmovement.

As a modified form of assembly, it may be desirable to arrange the'plate2flush with the top of the car floor as shown in Fig. 6. This plate issimilar in all details to that of Fig. 1, the only change being that itis bolted or otherwise secured to the top'of the car floor. In such aform, it is necessary to provide a light gauge cover pan 5 preferablysecured within the well 4 and beneath the perforated plate 2. As in theform of Fig. 1, She above described securing devices are use As a thirdmodification of the perforated plate idea, an inverted pan arrangementmay be used, such pan being shown in Fig. 7 to consist of side Walls 24supported upon the car flo'or by flanges 25, the bottom 26 of the panbeing provided with the above described perforations to receive theheaded securing devices. In this last modification, it would not benecessary. to mutilate the car floor except for bolts 27. y

In all the aforementioned forms, it will be noted that the securingdevices or hooks are readily detachable from the perforated plate.

In some instances, .it will be desirable to more or less permanentlsecure the hooks against removal or disp acement, and such anarrangement is shown in Figs. 9 and 11 in which a depressed trou h 28 isprovided, held between floor boards by flanges 29. To the bottom of thistrough there are secured 'a plurality of hook elements 30 adapted toreceive the hold downs as in other forms. Due to the fact-that suchhooks if not provided with swivels are not rotatable, it is nec- Yessary to arrange alternate devices at right angles to each other inorder that the assembly may be utilized for various sized vehicles. Insuch a device a hinged lid 31 is provided flush with the car floor.

- In all forms a cover of some kind is necessary, as frequentlycars usedto ship vehicles "are also used to ship grain. Such commodity wouldnaturally leak out of any apertures in the car floor or into anydepressions therein. In the latter case the jarring and jolting of thecar during its travel would tend to so pack the grain and accompanyingdust and dirt into the cavity that it would take'considerable time toclear the same in order to fit the hold down or securing devices. Forthis reason the perforated plate modifications are provided with quickdumping devices shown in Figs. 6 and 6 In Fig. 12 this dumping device isshown as a plate adapted to rotate to bring its openings intoregistration with the openings, shown in dotted lines, in the perforatedplate. The rotary plate is normally held in closed position by a spring6 against a suitable stop.

In'Fig. 6 It is operable by a handle member 6 against the tension of aspring 6 so as to bring its openings to register with the openings 3through the plate 2 for dumping purposes. The form'in which the securingdevices are permanently secured to a trough, is provided with apermanently open aperture 32 through which the small quantity of'dustand dirt leaklmg through the cracks of the cover may spi v the plate isslidably 1nounted.-

hold down element 14 with its associated parts will be sold to theautomobile shipper either with or without the hook or securin device 10.The railroad company will equip their cars with the perforated plateassemblies or the trough assembly, ready to receive the hooks or holddowns. For this reason each element of the entire assembly constitutes amarketable article of manufacture in itself and in some cases may beused independently of the remainder.

It is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the specific formof hold down device illustrated specifically in Fig.1, as variousmodifications will occur to those skilled n the art. A hook elementbeing rovided in the car floor, obviously strips, ro s, cables mama orfabric materials may be used to secure the vehicle or other load to thehook element.

In thesame manner it will be obvious that this invention may be likewiseutilizedto secure crates, packages and various types of loads in afreight car, and it is desired to cover in this application in additionto the above, any machinery,such as traction en'- gines, threshingmachines, farm implements and the like.

I claim:

1. A device for holding vehicles during shipment which includes a memberadapted to be secured to a car floor, a hook element.

secured to the above mentioned member, and a hold down adapted toremovably engage the hook element.

2. A device for holding vehicles during shipment which includes a plateadapted to be secured to a movably secured to the plate and a hold downadapted to removably engage said hook.

3. Ajdevice for holding vehicles during shipment which includes aperforated plate member adapted to be secured to a car floor, a

hook element detachably secured to said plate, s'aid hook element havinga head passing through one of the plate apertures and engaging the underside of the plate, and a hold down adapted to engage said hook element.

l. A. device for holding vehicles during shipment which includes aperforated plate adapted to be secured to a car floor, a hook elementhaving a restricted shank and anenlarged head detachably engaging saidplate, and a hold down detachably engaging,

said hook.

5. A device for holding vehicles during shipment which includes aperforated plate, substantially flush with a car floor, a headed hookhaving the head thereof en aging the under side of said plate, and a'old down engaging said hook.

6. In combination with a vehicle standin on the floor of a freight car,a plate secured to said car floor, a hook secured to said late, a holddown detachably engaging said ook,

' said hold down passing over a portion of said vehicle whereby thevehicle is secured to the car floor.

7. In combination a hold down comprisin a metallic element bentuponitself into su stantially U shape, having its ends threaded,af-retainlng plate over the ends, nuts threaded to the ends of the Uelement, and means to secure the metallic element to a floor including ahook engaging the bottom A of said U.

8. As a new article of manufacture, a member having a restricted shankwith an enlarged head at one end thereof, and with the other end bentback upon itself in the form of a hook.

9. As a new article ofmanufacture, a flat car floor, a hook element re-'plate bent back upon itself in the form of a hook at one end with arestricted shank and a shouldered head at the other end.

10. A hold down for automobiles and the like comprising a hook memberhaving -a swivel connection with the floorof the car and a member tobeconnected with the vehicle and movable relative to the'hook.

11. A hold down for automobiles comprising a perforated floor plate, ahook element detachably engaging in the perforation of saidplate, and aU shaped member movably engaging the hook and detachable therefrom withmeans for connecting the U shaped member with the vehicle.

12. A hold down for automobiles and the like comprising a member withmeans for connectin it with a part of the vehicle, a hook mem er withwhich said first mentioned member is detachable and has substantiall auniversal joint,connection, said hook mem er having a shank and'anenlarged head, and a slotted plate on the car floor with which said headremovably engages, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my'signature.

GEQRGE C. FEDDERMAN.

